The Marcos bust of Tuba—the crumbled statue seems just right to bring home a message

“The Marcos bust was built by the government in the early 1980s when Marcos was in power but it fell into neglect after the 1986 revolt sent the fallen dictator and his family into exile in Hawaii. The bust has been controversial for years as a symbol of Marcos’s self-glorification…” Sun Star Online Network (12/30/08, Palangchao,H)

Rep. Mauricio C. Domogan of Baguio wants the 30-meter tall defaced Ferdinand Marcos bust in Tuba, Benguet restored for two reasons. One is to make it another tourist attraction. Another is to appreciate Marcos’ good deeds.

At its present state the Marcos statue can attract as much tourists. When one comes up on that bizarre location in a forlorn side of a mountain, the bust as it is—- is far more interesting.

The monument’s state of destruction tells a story. With nose chipped, eyes gouged, face broken, and hollow skull showing, the bust gives the visitors time to reflect on the once-powerful man moulded in cheap cement.

With twisted iron jutting out from broken blocks of concrete, one can’t escape asking why the sun, wind, and rain were fast and cruel on the dictator. Quickly shattered by the elements, his monument got rough treatment from angry bombs detonated by Marcos haters in 2002.

There are many who feel they don’t need to be reminded of the “good” deeds of Marcos through that bust. Most Filipinos probably just want to forget the past like a botched dream. “Thank you,” people might say. The country has more than enough of the ugly vestiges of “greatness.”

Gazing from the Cordillera mountainside, the crumbled Marcos statue seems just right to bring home a message. The stones shatter and howl in the wind. If the bust is restored, dynamite might explode again. (Photo Credits: Edouba; Catfishingmyles)=0=

RELATED BLOG: “For lack of heroes, Marcos comes back as UP Vanguard’s hall-of-famer” Posted by mesiamd at 3/15/2008